During the opening monologue of the 2021 Golden Globes, Tina Fey wasted no time calling out the lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the awards show.
Fey explained that the group is made up of “90 international — no Black — journalists who attend movie junkets each year in search of a better life.” Her joke came on the heels of a Los Angeles Times report from earlier this week that pointed out that the 87-member HFPA doesn’t have a single Black member.
Towards the end of the opening, Fey’s co-host, Amy Poehler, said, “a number of Black actors and Black-led projects were overlooked” this year. Fey added, “Inclusivity is important and there are no Black members of the HFPA. I realize you might not have gotten the memo because your office is the back booth of a French McDonald’s, but you gotta change that. So here’s to changing that.”
The Time’s Up organization on Friday launched a #TimesUpGlobes protest campaign over the lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Soon after, Hollywood bigwigs like Judd Apatow, Ava DuVernay and Shonda Rhimes weighed in.
On Thursday, the group pledged to diversify its membership in the future.
“We are fully committed to ensuring our membership is reflective of the communities around the world who love film, TV and the artists inspiring and educating them,” the organization said in a statement. “We understand that we need to bring in Black members, as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible.”
HFPA’s membership is majority female, and more than 35% of its members are from non-European countries around the world, the group’s statement said. In an interview with Variety, former HFPA board chair Meher Tatna said the organization had not had a Black member since at least 2002, when Tatna joined the group.
During the broadcast on Sunday, HFPA members Helen Hoehne, Tatna and president Ali Sar took the stage to address the diversity issue.
“Tonight while we celebrate the work of artists from around the globe, we recognize that we have our own work to do,” Hoehne said. “Just like in film and television, Black representation is vital. We must have Black journalists in our organization.”
Sar added: “That means creating an environment where diverse membership is the norm, not the exception. Thank you and we look forward to a more inclusive future.”
Watch the video above.